VBR/CBR File Size

I am running into a perplexing issue regarding file sizes of VBR vs CBR encoding...
I have a my entire library of songs ripped from CDs that were encoded at AAC 256Kbs 44.1KHz. In the name of saving space (and after doing some reading), I re-ripped a few CDs using the same encoding settings, only selecting the VBR 256Kbs instead of strait 256Kbs (AAC of course). Now, I was expecting some slightly smaller files sizes, but what I found were files significantly larger than they were in the first place. Some gained 2MBs or more, depending on the length of the song. A possible variable in this, however, is that some of the songs in questions were ripped years ago...I'm guessing 2003 time frame using iTunes 4.x. Is it possible that with the years of iTunes updates that new/improved encoding techniques would result in larger files? Or am I wrong in my understanding that VBR files are "potentially" smaller than their CBR counterparts?
Thanks
G

+"Or am I wrong in my understanding that VBR files are "potentially" smaller than their CBR counterparts?"+
The argument you heard was probably more like "a smaller VBR file can have equivalent audio quality to a larger CBR file." This is because, as Chris notes, they spend more bits on the more sonically complex passages, and less on the sonically simple passages.
If you want to experiment, you can compare 192 w/ VBR (it's a custom setting) versus 256 w/ CBR. But, if you are shooting for a particular file size to save space, CBR will be more predictable.
Message was edited by: ed2345

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    Message was edited by: ed2345

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